


Gasoline

by rowanred81



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Female Friendship, Friendship, Post-Canon, Post-Game(s), Romantic Fluff, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-04
Updated: 2015-09-04
Packaged: 2018-04-19 00:00:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4725122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rowanred81/pseuds/rowanred81
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-game, set during Thanksgiving break. Max finds out something about Victoria and Taylor, with them finding out things about Max in turn. Will Max confess her feelings to Chloe? What will Max get into when Victoria and Taylor lead her into bedlam? Growing Chasefield friendship, Vic/Taylor relationship, with blooming Pricefield at the end. Mush, fluff, comedy, and NO angst!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gasoline

**Gasoline**

**Song by Halsey**

     Thanksgiving Break had officially commenced and Max laid in her bed at Blackwell Academy’s dormitory, earbuds in as the seconds ticked by.  Her train not scheduled to arrive for another three hours, Max had tuned out the world and cranked up her music as she texted Chloe Price until the bluenette had to end their talk, her shift at Two Whales demanding attention.  Max shook her head with a crooked grin that had rubbed off from her punk friend.  _The sight of Chloe in the diner’s waitress uniform makes it totally worth it_ , Max thought to herself as the smirk turned into a blushing smile.  _That skirt and her boots…oh, boy…_

     Max hadn’t worked up the courage to talk with her best friend about the feelings beginning to assert themselves; the dare to kiss Chloe had been a catalyst for something of an awakening for the brunette hipster.  The kiss, the rough yet careful feel of Chloe’s hand on various parts of her body sent a shiver up Max’s spine.  _Her hand on my shoulder, intertwined with one of my own hands, the small of my back_.  It wasn’t until a couple weeks after the storm had hit the shore only to disappear, Max having saved the town, that she had found her hand reaching down while in the shower at the thought of Chloe.  Altering the past by being sent back to the Monday where everything had started, the pool break-in had never happened in this timeline.  Instead, Max had saved Chloe’s life by hitting Nathan Prescott’s head with a metal bucket on the janitor’s cart.  Working together with Chloe, the bluenette more amicable than her previous incarnation due to seeing Max save her life, Max had used her knowledge of events from before she was sent back to end the living nightmarethat was Mark Jefferson’s abducting and abusing girls.  Nathan coming forward as an unwilling participant, being coerced into it by his father, had been sent to a psychiatric facility; Jefferson, in contrast, was still in jail awaiting trial.

     Shaking her head to disperse the memories of last month, one of Max’s earbuds came loose and the girl nearly jumped in fright at the sound of a woman’s voice screaming to the rhythm of an electric guitar.  _What the hell_? Max pulled her other earbud out and apprehensively opened the door; she had thought there was no one else in the building.  Blackwell’s campus wouldn’t be fully closed until that night, but Max assumed that most people had left the night before.  School was out for break the previous afternoon, but Max had elected to spend last night in Arcadia Bay getting drunk and high with Chloe.  _My parents would be_ so _proud_.  _Their daughter, the stoner_ , Max snorted at the idea of walking in the front door of her house dressed up like Chloe with a joint in her mouth as she cried out “Honey, I’m home!” before her face went scarlet at the idea of Chloe greeting her wearing nothing but an apron and a baking sheet laden with the Price family’s delicious German chocolate cookies.  Gulping, Max licked her lips at the thought of baked goods…and _Chloe…_ before stepping out into the hallway.

          “Victoria…?” Max’s face screwed up in a confused look.  _I thought I saw Victoria leave.  She walked out the hallway with a suitcase this morning.  What, she double back or something…?_   Her nosy curiosity getting the better of her, Max crept across the hall on her tip-toes and brought her ear to within an inch or two of the door.  _Yep.  Who knew?  Victoria Chase is a secret metalhead… Wait.  Oh shit, the music is drowning out… i-is that_ moaning _?_   Instinctively leaning in further, Max pressed into the door and gasped as the unlocked entrance to Victoria’s room swung open from the weight of her small body.  “Shit!”

     “Shit!” two voices cried out from the candlelit room, echoing Max’s comment with greater shock in their voices.  Max scrambled to her feet and ran into her room before whoever she heard could do whatever they no doubt were planning to do to her.  Pressing her body against the closed door from inside her room, Max heard footsteps and nervous whispers before someone knocked hard on her door.  “Max Caulfield, you open this fucking door _right now_!  Max, I will kick this goddamn door in, you fucking snoop!”

          “No!  Go away!  I swear, Victoria, I swear I didn’t see anything!” Max shook her head, eyes tightly shut and squealed in terror as someone kicked at her door from the other side.  “P-Please!  I won’t say a word!  D-Don’t hurt me!”

     The last cry of desperation from Max caused the beating on her door to stop and Max heard the whispers resume, unintelligible with the door between herself and whoever besides Victoria was out in the hall.  Hearing Victoria huff and the slam of a door, Max let out a squeak when someone softly rapped their knuckles on her door.

     “Max, don’t freak.  It’s… It’s Taylor,” Taylor said, her voice calm.  “Can you… Max, I’m in a towel right now and Victoria’s pissed so could you let me in?”

     Hesitantly, Max turned around and opened the door to her room only to cry out when Taylor _and_ Victoria came into her room and locked the door behind themselves.  Caught in her own room, Max pressed herself against a window and stared at the girls wide-eyed.

          “Y-You tricked me!” Max said, pouting with a quivering lip as Taylor looked down at her feet while Victoria glared at her with arms crossed.  “I… I heard screaming and g-got worried…”

     At that, Victoria’s expression mildly softened and Taylor smacked her friend on the shoulder, mouthing _I fucking told you so_ to which the pixie-haired blonde rolled her eyes and nodded.  Moving over to the couch, both girls sat next to one another and waited for Max to calm down.  When Max felt calm enough that her heart was no longer thundering in her chest, she cautiously walked over to her bed and sat across from Taylor and Victoria.

     “So…” Taylor started, her nervous smile and fidgeting hands suggesting she would rather be anywhere but in Max’s room at the moment, “Um, what _did_ you see…?”

          “I didn’t see _anything_ , Taylor.  I swear,” Max let the words out in a single breath, hands clutching at the blanket she was sitting on, “It was dark and there were lit candles.  That’s _it_.  …Why are you two in towels?  Uh, and why are you wearing dominatrix-y boots, Victoria?”

     “Max…” Victoria’s voice was low and thick with warning.

          “Oh… Oh my _God_!” Max’s jaw dropped and she heard the other two girls sigh in resignation.  When Victoria put her hand on Taylor’s knee, Max knew what she had been suspecting for the past few weeks was true.  Leaping to her feet and taking both Victoria and Taylor by surprise at the sudden change in her temperament, Max pointed a finger in the other girls’ direction and cried out “I fucking knew it!”

     “W-What?” Victoria’s icy demeanor was gone, replaced with a shyness as she looked toward the window to avoid Max’s triumphant-looking grin.  Max crossed the small distance between her bed and the couch and clutched at the interwoven hands of Taylor and Victoria.  Feeling Max’s small hand on her own and Taylor’s, Victoria’s head snapped back around and what anger she still had dissipated before the endearing smile on Max Caulfield’s face.

          “Oh my Dog, you two are so fucking cute together!” Max chirped, squeezing the other girls’ hands emphatically, her smile widening when Taylor giggled.  “Seriously, you’re so hella adorable!  Ugh, I thought you’d fucking hide this _forever_!”

     “W-What?” Victoria asked, copying her previous question exactly.  “You… You knew…?  You knew we were… that we’re-“

          “Gay?  Uh, yeah,” Max nodded, getting to her feet and pulling the other girls to their own before giving them a hug.  Victoria looked over at Taylor and could only give her girlfriend a loving smirk when she saw Taylor meeting Max’s display of affection with equal reciprocation.  “I know one when I be one.”

     “ _You’re_ _gay_?” Taylor asked, breaking the hug Max was giving her with an astonished look on her face.  When Max laughed and walked over to her closet to pull out a shirt with “Hella Gay” emblazoned in white shirt marker, Victoria’s cool façade broke and the pixie blonde busted up laughing.

     “That is so fucking cheesy, Caulfield.  But, it’s also kinda cute,” Victoria walked over to Max and hugged the brunette, smiling when Max hugged her back.  They’d been more friendly since Max had opened up about what she’d found in the Prescott’s old barn, the binder with her name on the spine.  Victoria figured Max had probably saved her a lot of pain, possibly her life, and they had started to be friendlier with one another.  “How the hell did we let you in the Vortex?”

          “Well, we’re both nerds for photography… and anime,” Max teased, pulling back from Victoria’s arms only to get squeezed by Taylor in another hug.  “Taylor, for cereal, I need to breathe some time.”

     “Sorry.  It’s just… Max, this is _so_ _great_!” Taylor laughed when Max blushed, but it wasn’t the teasing laugh she’d given the brunette months ago.  It was warm and friendly as she squeezed Max’s shoulders affectionately.  “Wait.  Does that mean you and-“

          “…She’s… Chloe’s not ready for that particular bombshell,” Max slumped her shoulders and saw the concerned look shared between Taylor and Victoria as she took a seat on the couch, the other girls sitting on either side of her.  “S-She’s so incredible, my best friend, and she doesn’t even know how I feel… Never mind that she thinks the _one_ kiss we had was only because she dared me to.  She teases and jokes, but she has no clue how I really feel…”

          “Oh.  Max, I’m sorry,” Victoria said, wrapping her arm around Max’s shoulders as Taylor took the brunette’s hand.  Victoria bit at her lip as she witnessed what light had been twinkling in Max’s eyes fade.  “You’ve been sitting on these feelings for _a_ _month_?  You’re a lot tougher than you look, Caulfield.”

     When Victoria leaned in to put her head on Max’s shoulder, the robe she was wearing opened a bit and Max saw the faint shine of black leather.  Gasping, Max quickly averted her eyes only to feel a chill on the back of her neck as Victoria sucked in a breath through gritted teeth.  _Please don’t kill me, please don’t kill me.  Victoria, I swear you and Taylor’s secret is safe with me so please don’t kill me because Chloe doesn’t even know that I love her as more than a best friend and I’d really like to tell her before I die so don’t kill me_ -

     The small dorm room was still, quiet save for their breathing and the muffled noise of symphonic metal from across the hall.  Eyes shifting toward her door,  Max felt her anxiety pick up when Victoria got to her feet and take Taylor’s hand in her own.  Watching the two blondes move to hover over her, Max cringed and squeezed her eyes shut only to feel a hand on her shoulder.  Peeking up with one opened eye, Max saw an inviting look on Taylor’s face and a smirk on Victoria’s.

          “Y-You’re not mad…?” Max stammered, dread subsiding further when Victoria chuckled and Taylor smiled.

     “…Do you want to know what we were up to or not, Snoopy?” Victoria teased, cocking an eyebrow at Taylor.  “Since you essentially bared your fucking soul to us, well, it seems only fair.  That, and the whole Jefferson thing.  You’re kinda in my good graces right now, Caulfield, so this is your _one_ shot.”

     Letting Taylor take her by the hand, Max stumbled the brief distance between her room and Victoria’s.  Still bathed in the dim light of tea candles, a light scent of jasmine and mint wafted out from the door left ajar.  _We must be the only girls left if Victoria just left her door open like this_ , Max thought before wincing as Victoria flipped on the lights.  Blackout curtains drawn shut, the symphonic metal from earlier barely a whisper, Victoria’s bedspread had been replaced with a burgundy-colored silk sheet and matching down comforter.  Nodding in appreciation, Max admiring Victoria’s interior design skills, Max turned around to see Taylor changing back into her clothes and felt the heat in her cheeks rise.

     The tanned blonde had been in a black silk camisole and matching boy shorts.  _Uh, you didn’t really need the towel for that, Taylor.  No offense, but that’s kinda close to how you normally dress._   Max bit at her lower lip to stop the thoughts forming in her head from becoming word vomit.  Looking away, Max and Victoria’s eyes met for a second; Victoria gave the brunette a sly wink before dropping her own robe.  Burgundy leather corset, black leather mini-skirt, and knee high boots comprised Victoria’s ensemble.  Max blinked a few times in awe of how different the other girl looked in comparison to her usual attire of cashmere sweaters, blouses, and the like.

          “W-Wowser,” the words barely escaping Max’s thinned lips as she grew increasingly embarrassed at the sight of the other two girls.  “U-Uh… You have _really_ good taste, Victoria.  You too, T-Taylor.  Just…Oh my _Dog_ …”

     Max sat on Victoria’s bed and pulled her hood overhead so that her face was covered up, cringing at hearing the other girls giggle at her expense.  _What do you expect me to do, be cool with this?  I might be gay but I’m not some kind of sexual Picasso!_   The diminutive hipster wanted to be anywhere but the room in which she resided; Max wanted out in the worst way but Victoria and Taylor were sharing a side no one else at Blackwell had likely seen before and their unusual friendliness felt nice.  Swallowing her anxiety down, Max audibly gulped and pulled her hood up just as Victoria was putting on a brown cashmere sweater of one of her blouses, black denim skirt and stockings already on.  Taylor was wearing her usual outfit of jean shorts and a low-cut tank-top.  Victoria took a seat next to Max while Taylor left to go down to the student lounge for some sodas; Max’s terror was ironically augumented by the friendly smile on Victoria’s face.

          “Is… Is this a trap?” Max asked, her voice betraying the timid feelings currently running through her.

     “No,” Victoria said, her eyes warm as she put a hand on Max’s shoulder, “No, Max, it’s not a trap.  I… Ugh, I w-would like it if you and I could be friends.”

     Victoria let out a shriek of alarm that quickly dissolved into a fit of laughter when Max dove into her with a hug, the girls lying on the bed halfway as their legs dangled off the side.  When Max joined in on Victoria’s mirth, the room pleasantly reverberated the sound of their laughter out into the hallway, and they laughed even louder when they heard Taylor laughing from down the hall as she returned from the first floor.

          “D’you break the news to her?” Taylor asked, handing Victoria and Max Dr. Peppers.

     “I caved before her quirky cuteness, yes,” Victoria answered teasingly, poking Taylor in the side as her girlfriend moved to join her and Max on the bed.  All three girls sat on the bed with their feet dangling off the opposite side.  “So, Max?  Friends?”

          “Hella yes,” Max said with a dazzling smile that took both Victoria and Taylor by surprise, their faces getting a little flush at how gorgeous Max could be sometimes, “A toast to new friends!”

     “We need booze for toasting,” Victoria chided as she raised her can of soda and tapped Max and Taylor’s sodas in kind.  “Hmmm… Actually, I have an idea.  Max, Taylor is coming to meet my parents for Thanksgiving.  Would you like to chill with us some over break?  Maybe hang out the day after?”

          “You want to hang out?  On Black Friday?”

     “You need a fashion overhaul, Max, and I know just the place,” Victoria said, encouraging the brunette with gentle pokes in her side.  “I know you liked what you saw on me and Sweet-T.”

     “ _Vic_!” Taylor cried out in a huff of embarrassment, eyes wide open at the use of her pet name in front of another person.  _She’s how I am when Chloe teases_ me _.  This is all so surreal.  Did I step back into the alternate timeline?  Is it Arcadia Bay or Arcadia_ Gay _?_   Shaking her head to disperse the word clutter forming, Max looked at Victoria incredulously.

          “You want to make me up like you were dressing just now?”

     “Well,” Victoria put a finger to her chin as her expression turned pensive, “I think we can blend some of your tree’s punk and some of _my_ fashion along with a little ‘twee hipster’ flair.”

          “I am not ‘My Fair Lady’,” Max said in a deadpan voice, a faint scowl on her face as she crossed her arms.  Victoria and Taylor shared a look before they gave Max puppy eyes in unison.

     “Notice me, Max-Senpai!” Victoria teased, clasping her hands together in pleading manner that was undermined by the huge smirk on her face.

          “…Fine,” Max replied after letting Victoria plead for a good minute or so, “You’re luck you’re so _kawaii_ , you total weeb.”

          “Max, please.  You knew what I meant.  You’re just as big a weeb as we are,” Victoria said, playfully shoving Max as Taylor giggled.  “Now, we need to plan.”

     Max’s Thanksgiving consisted of pizza delivery, wine, and soda.  Her mother being part-Chinook, Ryan and Vanessa Caulfield never really celebrated the US holiday save as a break from their respective jobs, Vanessa a civil rights attorney and Ryan a US Marshal.  While Ryan didn’t usually get holidays off, Max coming home from Blackwell gave him an excuse to make an exception.  Netflix, pizza, and a relaxing atmosphere was all Max needed to unwind as she nestled into the leather recliner in their brownstone’s living room.  _I need to bring Chloe up here for Christmas, if Joyce and my ‘rents are okay with it.  She’d love it up here in Seattle, and it’d be a kick to see how jelly she gets at casa de Caulfield,_ Max thought as she dug out her vibrating phone.  _Speak of the devil and she appears.  She’s luck she’s cute._

**Chloe: Mad Max, u there?**

**Max: Hey Che :)**

**Chloe: It’s thxgiving so you get THAT ONE emoji as an allowance**

**Max: Woo…?**

**Chloe: I miss you, nerd.  Need my first mate!**

**Max: How’s the Price family on this fine day?**

**Chloe: Joyce made her sweet potato pie with pecans.**

**Chloe: I think I must’ve ate half that damn pie**

**Chloe: saved you a slice, though**

**Chloe: 4 when u come back**

**Max: D’aww, I must be hella special**

**Chloe: …um, yea.  U are.  Totally.  The special-est.**

_Chloe Price, are you getting flustered_ , Max laughed to herself and waved the phone when Vanessa looked over from the couch while cuddling with her husband.

**Max: So.**

**Max: I should be back on Sunday.**

**Max: Will you come see me if I were to text you once I’m back and settled in?**

**Chloe: ye Ye YE**

**Chloe: I’m no good with words, Max.  Not really.  But… It’s really good to have you back in my life**

**Chloe: That’s what I’m thankful for this year.**

**Chloe: See you Sunday.  TTYL xoxo**

     Max wiped at her watery eyes at how sweet Chloe had just been and it pained her to not just confess right there, _on a text_ , how much she had fallen for her best friend.  She wanted to reach through the screen and grab Chloe by the collar of her jacket and kiss her without end.  Max wanted to sit with Chloe in the bluenette’s room and try her hand at poetry, creating epics in Chloe’s honor.  She wanted to take photo after photo of Chloe no matter what mood her best friend was in.  The summary of these wishes were all indicative of one thing to Max in that exact moment.

     She was _hella_ in love with Chloe Price.  Not like, not like-like.  She had fallen in love with her best friend, and she had no clue how Chloe actually felt about her.  _I am so fucked_ , Max thought as she grabbed at the pillow she’d been using earlier to set her paper plate on and pressed it to her face before letting out a muffled scream.

     “Chloe?” Vanessa asked, Max’s mother figuring out how her daughter felt back in October.

          “…Chloe,” Max replied after she put the pillow back down, the pout on her face getting a look of motherly concern and amusement from Vanessa.  “Oh _ha_ , Mom.  Yes, I’m in love with my best friend.  I know – I’m a stupid teen romance cliché.”

     “No.  You’re a sweet girl who has been through so much that you deserve some happiness.  Interesting what it says about my daughter, though, that she goes for a ‘bad girl’ with tattoos and a taste for beer and pot…”

          “ _M-Mom…!_ ”

     “Where’s Max?” Taylor asked as pulled at her peacoat while she and Victoria stood outside the entrance to The Olivian, the apartment building Victoria’s family lived in.  The brisk air trying to blow the knit beanie off her head, Taylor put a hand to it to keep it from flying off.  ”Vic, it is barely 7am and you told me this place isn’t even open until 9…”

     “Relax, Sweet-T,” Victoria said, kissing her girlfriend on the cheek before rubbing their hands together.  The cold wasn’t as bad for her as it was for Taylor, the other girl’s wool peacoat not as warm as Victoria’s down-lined leather jacket.  Both girls swapping their usual skirts for designer jeans, stockings, and fashionable boots, Victoria looked at her phone when it went off and smirked.  “She’s just around the block now.  Told you.”

     When Max pulled around and saw her two shivering friends she put a little more pressure on the gas and swerved into a parking spot across the street from where Victoria and Taylor were standing.  Seeing that they weren’t budging, Max rolled her eyes in realization that nobody from Blackwell had ever seen her car before.  _Not all of us can get that ever-elusive special permission for our own ride_ , Max thought with a trace of bitterness as she honked her horn and lowered her window to call out at the two freezing girls.  When she saw them look at her bug-eyed, Max laughed and honked again to get Victoria and Taylor moving.

     “This is a surprisingly nice ride, Max,” Taylor said, climbing into the back of Max’s 2006 Chevy HHR LT with Victoria right behind.  “Leather seats, Vic.  Not even your 300 has leather seats.”

          “I’d have figured you might have a ‘Crown Victoria’,” Max said as she looked in the rearview mirror to see both Taylor and Victoria roll their eyes at her pun, “What?”

     “You need a sign that says ‘Beware of Puns’,” Victoria said with mock chiding before she leaned forward in the backseat to plug in the store address into Max’s GPS.  “This is a nice car, though.  Why don’t you drive it at school, Max?”

          “Oh yeah, I’ll just call up the principal and tell her that I am Max-Fucking-Caulfield and demand the permit allowing me to bring my vehicle to school,” Max said in a sardonic tone as she looked over her shoulder at Victoria, the car still parked.  Ms. Grant had been named interim Principal until the formality of Blackwell’s school board accepted their academy’s new administrator.

     “I can help with that, you know,” Victoria mused, looking at Max through the rearview mirror as she leaned her head on Taylor’s shoulder, the taller girl kissing the top of her pixie-haired head.  “Seriously, Max.  You need to get yourself and your ‘punk grrrl’ out of that P-O-S of a truck she drives.”

          “I like her truck!” Max protested, turning in her seat to face both girls, “I mean, yeah, it’s kinda beat up.  I _do_ like it, though.”

     “So would a demolition derby, Max.  It is one step from being on cinderblocks outside her house.  I will have my parents make the call and get everything arranged.”

          “This is so weird,” Max said to herself, turning back around in the seat before feeling Taylor’s hand on her shoulder.

     “We’re friends now, Max.  I know we were… well, we were _really_ shitty to you…and to Kate, but we want to show you that we’re more than that.  Just let Vic help, okay?  She’s got your car and we’ve _both_ got your fashion makeover.”

     Nodding as she put her hand on Taylor’s before smirking when Victoria put hers on top of Max’s, the brunette laughed when Taylor put her other hand on top of Victoria’s.   The girls started trying to keep their hands on top of each other’s until Victoria sighed and told Max they needed to get going.

     Bedlam Bedlam was hardly open anymore, the owners not getting as much business as they needed or liked.  When Victoria Chase, daughter of The Chase Space’s owners, called, however, they answered.  A single clerk waiting just inside the storefront, Victoria rapped on the glass with mitten-encased knuckles and the door was unlocked and opened.  Thanking the clerk as she entered last, Max looked around in awe of how much there was to try.  Racks of a variety of clothing, both in style and material, seemed to stretch from the store’s front all the way to the back door and Max _couldn’t even see_ the second floor from where she stood; her jaw slightly agape, the brunette tugged at Victoria’s jacket sleeve and gave her friend as sheepish grin that Victoria responded to with an endearing grin of her own.

          “This place is so fucking cool,” Max said to Victoria and Taylor in a hushed voice, echoing her best friend’s usual sentiment.  _Chloe would love it_ here _, too.  Ugh, I should have invited her… no, no this is is Vic/Tay/Max time.  Victaymax.  Uh, no.  That sounds horrible.  Quality time with friends.  PG, but better._   “I’m kinda surprised how ‘hipster’ it looks, though.”

     “You don’t have to be into the clichéd hipster look to actually _be_ hipster about something, Max,” Victoria said before biting her lip in a small pout, “It’s just a fucking shame, though.”

          “What’s a shame?” Taylor asked, Max nodding at the taller girl as she also turned her attention to Victoria.

     “This place is shutting down.  Not enough business,” Victoria said before motioning for the girls to start browsing.  “Okay, Max.  There’s only two things you need to know.  One, I have you covered for this place and I _won’t_ take ‘no’ or ‘wowsers, no’ for an answer so don’t fucking try.”

          At Victoria’s use of the tone she was more commonly associated with, Max visibly flinched and Victoria stiffened before smiling apologetically.  Their friendship was new and bright, but there were lingering rough patches as well.  Being each other’s foil for a month that included the worst week either girl had experienced only to take a head-first dive into being friends was thrilling and scary to both Max and Victoria.  Taylor, sensing the tension, pulled both girls in for a hug.

     “You two need to re-bury those fucking hatchets.  Seriously,” Taylor said, her voice reassuring to both girls and Max chuckled a bit as she nodded in agreement.

          “What’s the second rule, Vic?” Max’s awkward use of Victoria’s shortened name brought a sly grin to Victoria’s face and her eyes seemed to twinkle mischievously.

     “Rule two is that you don’t go anywhere in here without either me or Taylor being with you.  You get to make the final call, sure, but _we_ get to peruse what catches your eye.  I swear, though, if you pick nothing but black hoodies and black jeans I will find some bondage-y outfit from the back room and truss you up for Chloe at her front door.  Nod if you agree with my terms.”

     Max nodded in agreement, the idea of being left at Chloe’s doorstep in a leather catsuit barely more terrifying than it was, well, enticing.  Her phone going off as Victoria and her left a wondering Taylor to go browse, Max saw a message from Chloe.

**Chloe: Hey, Max?  Um, yeah, so I was hella baked last night…**

**Chloe: Um, I am thankful for you being back in my life.  It’s just… I’m not the mushy type, y’know?**

Seeing Victoria over her shoulder, Max looked at the pixie-haired girl questioningly.

     “Don’t tell her how you feel, but don’t wuss out!” Victoria whispered encouragingly, “If she’s backing out of something _pull her back in_!”

**Max: Chloe, I miss when you could just tell me things and not have to backpedal**

**Max: I promised you I wouldn’t leave you again**

**Max: and I’m not**

**Max: So be honest with me and just tell me that you’re happy to have me back like I’m happy to have you**

**Chloe: Wow look at you**

**Chloe: I am happy, Max.  First time in a while, but I am.  Agh, I’m gonna never let you go when you get back, you sly little nerd!**

**Max: Heh.  I gtg, Che, but I’ll talk to you again REAL soon and I’ll see you this weekend. :***

**Chloe: I’ll allow the emoji because kissy-face.  Later, Maxaroni.**

“’Maxaroni’?” Victoria asked, an eyebrow raised in curiosity as she grinned at a blushing Max.

          “…Maxaroni n’ Che…” Max said, her tone meek as she looked away while biting her lip.  _Don’t you dare make fun, Victoria.  Don’t you fucking dare…_

     “That’s… That’s actually really sweet.  How the hell aren’t you two dating already?  Fuck, how aren’t you married?”

          “Illegal in Oregon.”

     “Hardy har.  Elope, you twee bitch,” Victoria teased, snickering when Max shoved her in response, “C’mon, Caulfield.  Let’s go.”

          “Yeah, let’s,” Max nodded, hooking one of her arms under one of Victoria’s as they walked deeper into the store.

     “Taylor!  Hey, Tee!  You _have_ to see Max!  You fucking have to!” Victoria called out to her girlfriend, Taylor looking at them from the second floor railing with a few dresses draping over one of her arms.  “Get your butt down here!”

     “Woman…,” Taylor said reproachfully, smirking as she caught Victoria sticking her tongue out at her, “Yeah, yeah.  I’m coming, Vic.”

     “Oh…” Victoria started to reply, a wide grin on her face before she heard Max cry out “Ugh, _gross_!” from the dressing room.  Victoria let out a snorting laugh that only got worse when a quizzical Taylor walked over to join her in anticipation.  “Oh… Oh, Sweet-T.  Wait till you see her.  I think she’s got enough clothes for a new outfit every day for a _week_.”

     “Wow, you kinda went nuts,” Taylor said, a look of surprise on her face.

     “What can I say?  Max Caulfield version 2.0 is my new passion project,” Victoria mused.

          “I’m right _here_ , you two!” Max called out from the dressing room.

     The door opening with a click that sounded incredibly loud in the otherwise quiet store, Max peeked out from inside the dressing room.  _Ohh, they’ll laugh and I’ll hate it and… Ohhhh…_   Only her chestnut hair and worried-looking blue eyes visible, Max gave a pleading look to her new friends that was only met with a curling finger from Victoria demanding she exit the small room.  Sighing, Max blinked her eyes once before opening the door all the way to display the first selection.

     “Oh… Oh, _wow_.  Max, that is… You’re so hot!” Taylor said, her jaw dropping a little as Victoria beamed at “her creation”.

     Dressed in a dark red button-up, sleeveless blouse and black leather knee-length skirt, Max felt like a naughty schoolteacher as she reached down to tug at the thigh-high black stockings Victoria had suggested.  Not wanting high heels or stilettos, Max had gotten her friend to compromise with platform boots; the end result was Max going from 5’5” to 5’7 ½”.  Awkwardly lifting her feet up and down to try and adjust to the thick soles of her footwear, Max looked up from her feet to see Victoria’s and Taylor’s brilliant smiles and blushed.

          “S-Stop it…,” Max bit her lip as she continued to look away, bashfully holding one of her arms out of habit.

     “Max, you look good.  Be proud of yourself, girl!” Taylor said, walking the few paces to give her new friend a supportive hug.  “Vic, tell her she looks good!”

     “…It’s… It _does_ seem a little odd on you,” Victoria said as she tilted her head to one side in examination, Taylor’s look of admonishment going unnoticed.  “I mean, it _is_ hot.  You look like you’d make Chloe orgasm on command with this outfit, but it’s not quite _you_ , right?”

          “Yeah, I guess,” Max said, sighing as she looked up to give Taylor a shrug.  “She’s right, Taylor.  I feel totally awkward in this.  I need a ruler, glasses, and someone to give me an apple at my desk, the way this outfit is going.”

     When Victoria and Taylor looked at her with shocked expressions that turned into devious grins, Max raised her hands in defense.

          “Do _not_ find me those things!” Max sternly warned, sighing in relief when Victoria’s shoulders slumped a bit and Taylor scratched at the back of her knit beanie.  “Ugh, I’m gonna change into the next outfit.  This… This is just _no_ …”

     The second outfit was more comfortable to Max, but still kind-of awkward.  Leather jeans and the same boots with a red, spaghetti-strap tank top, Max hands fidgeted with the silk of her top as the black and steel bracelets she was sporting on her left arm slid when she moved.  Looking down at her feet a little less as she walked, Max caved to her friends’ excitement and reluctantly struck a pose.  One hand on her cocked hip, Max quirked an eyebrow in what she hoped was a seductive grin and nearly snorted when she thought of “ _Ready for the mosh pit, Shaka Brah!_ ”  _That seems like so long ago_ , Max thought only to be pulled back with Victoria’s whistling and Taylor’s friendly cat-calls.

     When Max saw the total displayed on the register’s small screen, she tried to grab the considerable pile of clothes only to wince at Victoria’s glare.  _How dare I, huh?  It’s just… That’s_ so _much money, Vic.  I could buy a lot of instant film with that hella cash._   Slowly pulling her arms away as Victoria mouthed “ _Rule Number One_ ”, Max slumped her shoulders and felt Taylor wrap her arm around her waist.

          “You guys are so sweet,” Max said, leaning her head into the crook of Taylor’s neck, “I… I wish we could have been friends sooner.”

     “Me, too.  Max?” The curious tone in Taylor’s voice piqued Max’s interest and pulled away to look at her friend only to be pulled toward the door.  Being brought to a stop next to the front door, Max looked at Taylor with a concerned expression.  “Max, I want to thank you.  You saved her, saved Victoria.  It meant a lot to her that you stopped Mr. Jefferson from doing, well, _whatever_ it was he had planned.  It means a lot to us both.”

     Max nodded and suppressed the urge to flinch and ball her hands up into fists; she hadn’t told anyone at Blackwell what she and Chloe found in the Prescott Barn.  The police and federal law enforcement being secretive about the entire case, Max thought it was likely the work of Sean Prescott.  _Still, Chloe and I know.  We’ll always know, and we can never forget.  I won’t, anyway – I saw so much that week, and relived so much, too.  Some things I can never, ever tell._   Looking back up to Taylor in reassurance, the brunette squeezed her friend’s hand softly before walking over to help Victoria with the bags.

     Victoria and Taylor walked into the brownstone apartment Max and her parents called home with a growing realization that nobody at Blackwell really knew what Max was like outside her shy, geeky shell.  Taylor walking unbuttoned her peacoat and hung it on the rack like she was afraid of disturbing the other coats as Victoria nodded in mute admiration at the apartment’s interior design.  Brick and hardwood floors with leather living room furniture and a glass and steel entertainment shelf, the kitchen open and leading out into a balcony.  Max watched the girls with some amusement as they explored the apartment with their eyes and not their actual bodies.  _Honest to Dog, my home won’t_ bite _.  For fuck’s sake…_   Heading down the hall toward her bedroom, Max looked over her shoulder and asked “You two coming?”

     Max’s bedroom was a little sparser than it had been a couple months ago; the brunette gingerly ran a free hand along a wall that had been the previous residence of her photo memorial wall.  Setting the shopping bags in her walk-in closet, Max came back out to see Victoria examining her movie and anime posters with an intense look on her face as Taylor laid on the queen-size bed.

     “Max, you’ve got to be swimming in this bed,” Taylor joked, laughing at the crooked grin on Max’s face, “Oh, come _on_.  You’re tiny and this bed is _huge_.  Flannel sheets, though.  Why flannel?”

          “No reason,” Max said, though her mind was echoing _Chloe Chloe Chloe Chloe Chloe_.  Helping Taylor up, the tall girl lifting her arms in Max’s direction, Max walked over and stood next to Victoria.  “Yes…?”

     “You have a _Princess Mononoke_ poster _signed_ by Yuriko Ishida,” Victoria stated, a little ire in her voice, “ _Signed_ , Max.  Fucking _signed_.”

          “Y-Yes.  Uh, you stated that already,” Max said nervously as she watched Victoria’s eyes narrow while scanning the other posters with her intense face.

     “… _Half_ these are signed?!?” Victoria whirled and clasped Max on both shoulders, “How did you… Where… Max, _can I have one_?”

          “…I dunno…” Max said, trying to sound amicable but Victoria was having none of it.  The pixie-haired girl leveled the same puppy eyes she had used before on Max and the brunette wilted as Taylor chuckled from the walk-in closet.  “Fine.  You get _one_.  I pick, though.”

     One examination of her entire wardrobe and the relinquishing of a Seras Victoria poster signed by Fumiko Orikasa later, the three girls were sitting in the living room watching _Durarara!!_ and drinking Vanessa Caulfield’s bottle of Merlot.  Somewhere between the first and second bottle, Max and Victoria had all but forgotten Taylor was in the room as they went into a heated debate concerning anime.

     “Neon Genesis Evangelion is a _great_ anime, Max!” Victoria said, her face scarlet from both the discussion and the alcohol.  “How can you say it’s a little overrated?!?”

          “Are you… _hiccup…_ cereal?” Max asked, an impish grin on her face as she jabbed a finger in the air at Victoria’s general direction.  “The ending of that series, Vic.  The ending _sucked_!  It was fucking terrible, so goddamn bad that they Gainax had to release a movie and retcon a fuck-ton of stuff!  _Fooly Cooly_ was a fraction of the size and cost _and_ … _hiccup_ …it is still a better anime!” Max ended her sentence by draining her wine glass and looking around in confusion for the bottle before nodding appreciatively as she snatched it up where it had been nestled between her bare feet.

     “You’re just saying that because… because you suck!” Victoria cried out, nearly hitting a now-sleeping Taylor with her arm before mouthing _Oops!_ to Max and both girls found themselves in a collective giggle fit.  Downing her own glass of Merlot, Victoria picked up the empty bottle and stumbled over to where Max was sitting cross-legged on the leather recliner.  Plopping down carefully onto the steel and glass coffee table, Victoria pointed at Max as they sat directly across from one another, her finger wavering a little as both girls were admittedly drunk.  “Y-You _suck_ , Max.  You and your… and your hipster, um, what was I saying…?”

          “You were saying that I am hardcore and fucking hella super awesome,” Max snickered before flipping Victoria off, “…Aaaannnd, if you _don’t_ think that then I’ve got another one of these waiting for you, you uppity b-bitch.”

     “C-Chloe’s… she’s a _bad_ influence on you, Max,” Victoria chided, smiling as she returned Max’s middle finger with one of her own.  “Y-You could do _so_ much better-“

          “-But I love her!” Max said, her eyes widening as she grabbed Victoria by the shoulders, a mixture of drunkenness and deadly seriousness.  “She’s a good bad influence on me and I love her!”

     “…You _love_ her…?” Victoria’s eyes widened and she spun around in place and scrambled across the coffee table to nudge Taylor on the shoulder with her empty wine bottle she in hand, “Sweeeeet-T, Max is in _love_ with Chloe Price.  But _shhhhhhh_ don’t tell nobody…” Victoria looked over her shoulder to give Max an exaggerated wink and Max rolled her eyes.

     “Max… do you, like, maybe wanna get high?” Victoria asked, finally setting the empty bottle down as she got to her feet and steadied herself against one of the leather couch’s armrests.  “You… You got a balcony and yeah it’ll be cold but I need to toke.”

          “We can just smoke in the stairwell, Vic,” Max shook her head at Victoria, “The balcony’s g-gonna be hella cold.”

     “Max… Where’s your parents at?  Are you embarrassed of your friends?  Yer frandzzz.”

          “I probably will be tomorrow,” Max teased and Victoria was ashen-faced until Max started letting out some choked giggles, “Oh, Vic.  Victoria, I’m kid- _hiccup-_ ding!  Chill!”

     Getting to her feet, Max took Victoria by the hand and led her out the front door of her family’s apartment.  Walking halfway down the stairwell that connected the apartment to the world outside, Max took a seat on the stairs and patted the spot next to her for Victoria to join.  Plopping down next to Max, Victoria pulled out a narrow joint only to nearly choke on it when Max pulled out a blunt that dwarfed her pot.

     “What the fuh, Max?”

          “Uh, Chloe kinda got me into it,” Max admitted with a sheepish grin, pulling out a small butane lighter as she clicked the flame to life and began to puff away.  Handing her lighter to an astonished Victoria, Max leaned back on the stairs behind them and baked.  “This… This has been a fucked up couple months, hasn’t it?”

     “Oh,” Victoria started, leaning back to join Max as she took a drag from her bud, “So you’re a contemplative stoner… Gee, go figure.  But yeah, it’s been a shit start to what is supposed to be a great year in our lives.  Max?”

          “Yeah?”

     “…I’m sorry for my part in making it so shitty for you,” Victoria said, her voice sounding almost sad to Max, “I misjudged you, a lot.  I mean, even when you told me that it was you who got paint on my fucking cashmere I-I could understand why.”

          “I was surprised you let me off the hook so easily for that…” Max said, Victoria looking over at her with a smirk as Max’s bewilderment was plain to see.

     “You paid me how much it cost for the cleaners to fix it, so that was that.  I can’t… Nathan, Max.  Nathan and Jefferson and Kate…and Rachel.  Rachel and I were never close, I barely _talked_ to her, but Kate…K-Kate doesn’t deserve… she doesn’t d-deserve…” Victoria broke down crying at the thought of what Kate might have gone through and didn’t notice the cold look in Max’s eyes, ignorant in the knowledge that her freckled, pot-smoking friend knew _exactly_ what had happened and knew because in another time it had also happened to her.  Max put her blunt back in her mouth and took a long drag, holding onto the smoke and saw Victoria look at her own already-spent doobie in disappointment.  _Chloe’ll kill me for this, but I feel bad for Vic._

     Max tapped Victoria on the shoulder, her face starting to strain from still managing to hold onto the smoke, and when Victoria turned to face Max the brunette brought her lips to the pixie-haired girl’s.  Parting her lips just enough for the smoke to escape, Max felt Victoria open her own more out of surprise and saw the pixie’s eyes soften as the she realized what Max was up to.  Pulling her lips away from Victoria’s, Max brought her arms around the other girl’s and hugged her friend.  Feeling Victoria shake from choking sobs as her head rested on Max’s shoulders, Max rubbed the other girl’s back as they sat alone in the stairwell with the weight of Blackwell Academy on both of their shoulders.

     The morning was less copacetic than the previous evening had been; Max, Victoria, and Taylor were all sprawled out on the living room floor in a three-person cuddle with the remaining wine bottle and empty bags of Cheetos in plain view of Vanessa and Ryan Caulfield as Max’s parents returned from an overnight stay at Ryan’s mother’s.  Max had asked her parents to let her have the apartment to herself and her friends for the evening; Vanessa and Ryan were both delighted to hear that Max had made friends, especially one of them being a local girl.  The enthusiasm was a little wilted when they came home to find their daughter and her friends asleep with alcohol and an unhealthy amount of junk food bags lying next to them.  Ryan snickered and Vanessa slapped him on the shoulder before silently mouthing _Ryan!_ as Max lifted her head up to sleepily grin at her parents.  Ryan snickered again, louder, and Vanessa rolled her eyes before walking over to where Max, Victoria, and Taylor were lying down.

     “Really, Max?” Vanessa whispered quietly to her daughter, Max’s eyes clearing as the horror of what she’d been caught in hit her full force.  Vanessa gestured at the junk food and alcohol.  “Tell me that’s the only one, sweetie.”

          “…That’s the only one…?” Max was too tired for this shit.  _I’m too tired for this shit.  Sorry, Mom._

     “…It isn’t, is it?” Vanessa sighed in resignation only to stiffen as she took in a quick breath.

          _Oh no._

     “Max Caulfield,” Max’s withered under the quiet menace of her mother’s whisper, “Have you been smoking pot?  Again???”

          “Moooom…” Max pleaded, frowning, “Please please _please_ don’t be mad.  _You’re_ the one who got me an MMJ card.  It’s… It’s medicinal.”

     “Medicinal, my ass,” Vanessa said, poking her daughter in the shoulder only to smirk at Max’s worried face. “Just… Just be safe, okay?  You know I worry and I know you’re anxiety attacks are pretty awful.  I wish Blackwell would fucking understand that, sometimes.”

          “Mom, you said ‘fucking’,” Max said, shocked with eyes opened as wide as they would go.

     “And…?”

          “Nothing.  I’m just glad you’re-“

     “Max…?” Taylor asked, cringing as her half-asleep stretching resulted with a forearm to the head of a now-wincing Victoria Chase.  “Oops.  Sorry, Vic.  Max, d’you have any waffles… Oh.  _Oh_ _hi_ , Mrs. Caulfield.” At the mention of Max’s mother, Victoria sat straight up in an instant and gave an amused Vanessa Caulfield a smile.

     “Hello, Mrs. Caulfield,” Victoria said, eyes still a little droopy with a faint stickiness in one corner of her mouth from drooling in her sleep a little, “I’m… I’m Victoria Chase.  This is my girlfriend, Taylor Christensen.  How do.”

     “Well, ‘how do’ to you as well,” Vanessa said, giving Max a sidelong look as both Caulfield women smirked.  “You girls hungry?”

     “Waffles?” Taylor asked, sitting up to join her embarrassed girlfriend, Victoria mouthing _How do?_ with a look of mild horror on her face.  “And, um, a _lot_ of coffee…?”

          “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that,” Max said with a grin, “We’re loaded up on coffee.  Perks of Mom being the best civil rights attorney in Seattle.”

     Despite appreciating how astonished Victoria and Taylor were every time they learned something new about her, Max was getting more frustrated by it.  _Just how_ did _you two imagine me?  Hipster parents in all black as they snapped their fingers to fucking slam poetry???  Living in a tent city because we were into Occupy before it was cool?_   Rolling her eyes, Max put a hand to her forehead and sighed.

          “You two don’t have to be surprised by every little thing, do you?  Am I _that_ much an enigma at school?” Max asked, her voice near pleading before letting out a disappointed moan when Victoria and Taylor looked at each other only to look back at Max and nod apologetically.  “Motherfucker…”

     “Max…” Vanessa chided.

          “Sorry, Mom…”

          “You can’t hang out a little longer?” Max asked as she walked Victoria and Taylor to The Olivian, all three girls walking hand-in-hand-in-hand.  “It feels like another world here, like the three of us got to really connect _here_ and I don’t want to lose that feeling-“

     “You’re not losing it, dork,” Victoria said, looking at Max with a disbelieving smirk, “Max, we’re not going to drop you just because we’ll all be back in school.”

     “Yeah, you jerk,” Taylor added, letting go of Victoria’s hand so she could reach across the pixie-haired girl and lightly swat Max on the shoulder for emphasis, “Do you _still_ think we’re like that, Max?  Seriously?”

          “N-No, but… I get scared, you know?  I…I know about nearly everything that went down t-that week and it makes me terrified of losing people I care about.  Friends, family… Chloe…” Max sniffled only to be wrapped up in Taylor and Victoria’s arms, the girls sensing their friend being in need of affection.

     “Max,” Taylor whispered, her voice cracking a bit, “W-Why haven’t you told anybody-“

     “Would you, Tee?” Victoria whispered back, squeezing Max a little more tightly, “God, Max. I am _so fucking sorry._   You’re pretty tough, holding all that in for over a month.  I’m guessing Chloe knows?”

          “…Y-Yeah.  She and I, well, w-we were the ones who kinda uncovered it all.  We… _We_ found Rachel in the junkyard…”

     At that last statement, Victoria pulled back and put a shaking hand to her mouth, horrified for the pain Max had endured over that week and the following month.  Taylor held onto Max more tightly, acting as though she were afraid the brunette might fall apart right there on the sidewalk.  Max let the tears fall down her cheeks but the steely look on her face showed a resolve that neither Victoria or Taylor had ever seen from her before; it awed them and chilled them a bit in despite of how cold it was outside Victoria’s apartment.

     “Go home, Max.  Rest, recharge, and go see Chloe _as soon as you can_.  We’re your friends.  We care about you, but you need to be with someone _you_ _love_ ,” Victoria said, squeezing one of Max’s shoulders with her mitten-covered hand.  Victoria and Taylor each giving her another hug and kisses on her cheeks, Max waved at them through The Olivian’s front door until they were out of sight before heading for her own home.  Making it to her car, Max slid into the driver’s seat and pulled out her phone.

**Max: Chloe?**

**Chloe: Hey hey, Max!  Dude, I thought I’d never hear from you.  How goes it?**

**Max: Cool.  Hung out with friends, friends you’d never believe I would’ve made in the history of EVER.  They’re really sweet, though, so it was hella nice.**

**Chloe: Rly?  Who who?**

**Max: Victoria and Taylor.  From Blackwell.**

**Chloe: No fucking way**

**Chloe: Get the fuck out you’re friends with the Vortex Queen and her evil henchman.  WTF, dude?!?  Max, they’re fucking evil**

**Max: No.  No, they’re not.  They’re kind and considerate.  A little asshole-ish, but we are, too**

**Chloe: Truth**

**Chloe: Max, I miss you.  I miss my best bud, and I miss smokin’ bud with you.  I can’t wait for tomorrow.**

**Max: I’m coming back tonight**

**Max: I need to see you**

**Max: we need to talk**

**Chloe: …ok**

**Chloe: um, I’ll see you tonite then.  Hit me up when you get back**

**Max: no need.**

**Max: I’m coming to you.  See you at your house.**

     Max turned off her phone, nervous at the idea of texting Chloe any further for fear of blurting out her feelings over the phone.  Max gently put her head against the steering wheel and took a deep breath to calm down her rapidly-beating heart.  _You can do this, Max.  Just… Just woman up or whatever.  You’re tough.  You survived Nathan.  You survived… You survived Jefferson.  You saved Chloe multiple times, Kate, and an entire fucking town.  You’re just telling the woman you love that you love her, that’s all.  It’s Chloe.  I mean, c’mon, right?  Right?_   Lifting up her head to stare out into the parking lot where car was currently parked, Max let out a groan before dropping her head once more onto the steering wheel.

          “This sucks.”

     It was late as Chloe looked out the window of her bedroom for what felt like the billionth time.  _Max said she was coming tonight.  Well, tonight is here and she isn’t so what the fuck?_   Stamping out her second joint, the bluenette let out a yawn before shaking her body to wake back up.  Walking over to her Hi-Fi, Chloe browed through the discs set next to it before walking back to the window so she could look for Max again.  _Ugh, Max.  Where the fuck are you?_ Popping her neck, Chloe slumped against the desk for a moment before heading out into the hallway and down the stairs.  The Price household was dark, it being nearly 11pm, but Chloe walked through her and her mother’s house without stumbling once.  _I’ve got this down to a science, a doctorate is ninja-ology.  Chloe Price, Ninja M.D. coming soon to a theater near you._

     Having made her way to the kitchen, Chloe pulled out her phone and groaned at the lack of new messages from Max.  Max had texted her earlier that day, letting the punk know she’d be back in Arcadia Bay that evening.  Unfortunately for Chloe’s nerves, she hadn’t received another text from Max for the entirety of the day’s remaining hours and the bluenette’s mood was in a flux somewhere between nervous, scared, and pissed.  Mostly, though, Chloe was confused.  _She sounded… read?  No, she_ sounded _different in our text.  Never mind she’s best ladybros with the top two bitches of Black-Hell.  Maybe that’s it.  They corrupted my Max, my precious little nerd.  I’ll save you, Max_ , Chloe thought as she thrust a slice of leftover pizza like a pirate sword.  _Arrr, give me back me matey or walk the plank, Bitchtoria!  Y’arr!_   Looking over her shoulder, Chloe grinned with a mouthful of pizza at her amused mother.

     “Chloe, you are cruisin’ for a bruisin’, I swear,” Joyce said, wrapping her robe up a little more tightly before swatting Chloe upside the head.  “And keep the refrigerator door _closed_ , sweetie.  We’re a one-income household now, so things are gonna get a little tighter.”

          “Mom, relax!” Chloe said, hugging her mom as she chewed at her cold cheese pizza.  “I’ve got a sick job lined up with the tattoo place in town.  They’re going to train me ‘under the table’, letting me get my ink on as I go so that I can make some dank bank!  We’ll be rolling in hella cash in no time!  No need for David-“

     “Please don’t say his name, Chloe,” Joyce said, starting up a pot of coffee.

     The pain and fatigue in Joyce’s voice made Chloe’s uplifted mood fade into a calm sadness over her mother’s broken heart.  They, both Price women, had tried letting David back into their lives after that week in October.  Things had only become worse rather than better; with David now guaranteed to be out of a job, his last remaining place of employ not only left a black stain on his job history but a bitter reminder of how much he had failed.  Chloe would hear him mutter about Max being called a hero all over town and the brunette had been warned away from the Price residence for the first two weeks after Mark Jefferson had been arrested.  _Jeffersonofabitch.  Motherfucker… oh, Rachel…_ Chloe walked into the living room and flopped onto the couch, pizza finished up and she licked the grease from her fingers as a pang of regret hit Chloe.  _My angel, my friend. I… I know you didn’t like me like I did you, Rach, but I miss you.  Maybe not as much as I did months ago, but I still do.  Thank fucking God for Max, my nerdy little shelter.  My… My goddamn hero…_

     As inseparable as she and Max had been as kids, it was near-impossible for Chloe to not have Max within her sight outside of the hippie’s school.  Chloe remembered how shocked she had been when Max had told her that Blackwell was going to stay open, that it was going to close for a week so that the teachers and school board could talk and decide what to do before resuming classes.  The press had all but crucified Principal Wells, both for covering up Nathan Prescott’s troubling activities on campus as well as being oblivious to the sociopathic murderer teaching kids under his watch.  Chloe had wanted to feel bad for Wells, the guy _did_ seem to really care.  He didn’t even know about Jefferson, and Chloe understood that.  It was Nathan Prescott and his actions that had made Chloe go cold at the thought of Blackwell Academy’s then-principal.

     Now, weeks later, things had begun to settle down and Chloe found herself calming down for the first time in years.  Rachel memorialized both publicly as well as by herself and Max in private, Chloe had left flowers at the marker she and Max had made in the woods near the lighthouse every day since.  At first it had been gut-wrenching and Max had lost some of her treasured hoodies to Chloe’s tears and snot-laden sobs.  A week after the first visit, however, and Chloe began to not feel as devastated.  Max would meet her at the spot, a tiny clearing that overlooked the ocean, and they would hook their pinkies together and get baked as they dangled their legs over the Cliffside.  Sometimes they’d invite Frank, the guy having mellowed out towards them after they had discovered what happened to Rachel.  _Stupid goofy-ass dog_ , Chloe shook her head on the couch at how ridiculous and cute Max looked when Pompidou would come charging through the trees only to collide into Max’s waiting arms.  Frank would come over shortly thereafter and offer them a joint to share as he lit up his own blunt and they’d just sit quietly and smoke, Max eventually getting him to let her have her own joint when he’d come by with the promise of helping to look after Pompidou when he was away on “business”.

     Looking up from her reclined position on the couch, Chloe peered over the back cushion and saw Joyce shuffle around.  Rolling her eyes and sighing, Chloe crashed back into the couch before hearing her mom approach with a steaming mug of sweetened coffee.  Looking at her mom with a quizzical expression, Chloe smiled in thanks when Joyce followed up the mug with the entire pot and a coaster for the mug.  Kissing her daughter on the forehead, Joyce told her not to stay up too long for once and went back upstairs.  The house’s first floor now lit by a single desk lamp behind where Chloe was presently sitting and drinking coffee, the bluenette began to get drowsy in spite of the appreciated caffeine when a faint knocking sound could be heard coming from the front door.

          “Fuck shit assfuck Goddamnit!” Chloe muttered through gritted teeth, wincing at the pain of hot coffee on her legs.  She’d jumped on instinct at the prospect of Max _finally_ being back and had forgotten for whatever reason that she had a mug of hot coffee in her hands.  Wiping the burning liquid off the hand that had been grasping the culprit mug, Chloe adjusted her beanie with the other and walked up to the front door.  “Password?”

     “Booty,” Max said back, giggling like they were ten years old all over again to Chloe’s delight, “Y’arrr, Captain Chloe.  Y’arrr.  Uh, Che?  Y’arrr…?”

     When Chloe opened the door and saw Max’s smiling face, eyes and smile dazzling with her nose scrunched up in the way that made Chloe melt a little inside, the bluenette had swooped in and picked Max up in a tight hug.  Clutching onto her friend in absentminded relief, Chloe didn’t notice at first the feel of leather in her hands.  It wasn’t until she let Max go that Chloe got a semi-decent look at her best friend.  _Whoa.  Whoa, what the hell…?_

     “Uh…” was all Chloe could get out, her jaw hanging loose to the sight of an amused Max.

     A black leather jacket that cut off at her midriff, Max was sporting matching black leather jeans, maroon-colored combat boots and a maroon silk tank-top.  Her hair encased in a black beanie with Jack Skellington knitted on with a vicious grin, Max was sporting what looked to Chloe like make-up.  Not able to get a perfect look at her made-over friend, Chloe flipped on the light set next to the front door and her eyes opened even further.

          “Dude,” Chloe managed to say, “M-Max, you’re… You’re wearing _make-up_.”

     “Uh, I-I have before, Chloe.  This… This isn’t too new for me,” the brunette stammered, playing with her lip ring nervously.  _Max, you got a fucking lip ring??? When the hell did you get a lip ring?  Holy fuck what did they_ do _to you, Max?_   “Chloe?”

          “Yeah…?”

     “I’m kinda freezing.  May I finally come in?” Max asked, flashing Chloe an sheepish grin before being led inside by Chloe, the bluenette closing the door behind her friend.

     “Chloe?  Did Max… oh.  Oh, _wow_.  You look… Just wow, Max,” Joyce said from the top of the stairs, Max peering up from to see the astonished look on Joyce’s face.  “Wow.  Um, I’m gonna leave you two girls alone.  G’night, Chloe.  G’night, Max…”

     Chloe snickered along with Max’s giggling when they heard Joyce mutter “Jesus Fucking Christ” before closing her bedroom door shut and the bluenette led her friend into the kitchen, backpedaling as she just wanted nothing more than to keep taking in Max’s new look.  _I gotta admit, Max.  You look hot as fuck._   _I mean, if I thought you were into me I’d totally jump you time meow._

          “You look nice,” Chloe said.  _Smooth, Price.  You’re such a ladykiller, dumbass._

     “Uh, t-thanks,” Max said, shrugging her leather jacket off.  Chloe eyed the spaghetti straps of Max’s tank and the sight of her friend’s pale skin, freckled shoulders, and the dark red silk stirred something deep in Chloe.  “What’ve you got to drink?  I’ve got a thirst, Che. Quench me.”

          “I _am_ something of a thirst quencher,” Chloe teased, and she pulled out a pitcher of tea only to feel mildly surprised at Max’s quick head shake.  “No?  I thought you liked Joyce’s ‘Suthun Sweeat The’…”

     “Oh, I do.  Just not what I had in mind,” Max said, her tone piquing Chloe’s interest as the brunette looked into the fridge herself only to come back out with a disappointed look on her face.  “Is this a dry house now?”

          “ _You_ want alcohol?” Chloe asked, her tone barely expression how surprised she actually felt.  “I know I got you into getting burnt, Max, but I seem to remember you not liking beer or wine.”

     “Got some advice yesterday.  Something-something, be myself something.  Sounded like a plan, kinda,” Max said, touching Chloe’s arm, “So, _do_ you have any booze?  Confess, Chloe.  No one expects the Caulfield Inquisition.”

     Walking up to her bedroom with Max closely behind, Chloe felt a little uneasy at how Max was behaving.  _She’s not high.  At least, I don’t think she is.  She’s so chill, though, like something is gone that was keeping her down.  There’s a shine to her, like she is casting her own light from smiling so much.  Ugh, Chloe.  What the fuck are you saying?  She’s_ your best friend _, for fuck’s sake!_   Hearing Max close the door behind them, Chloe rummaged through her shelves until she produced a bottle of Hot Damn 100-proof.  Setting the bottle on her desk, Chloe ran downstairs and grabbed a couple of mugs only to nearly trip on the hallway carpeting.  _When the fuck do I trip here?  Get a grip, dude!  Why is Max making me so fucking nervous?  Ugh!_

     Closing the door behind her, Chloe nearly dropped the mugs when the sight of candlelight overwhelmed her.  Holding a single candle herself, Max was standing in the middle of Chloe’s bedroom with lit tea candles scattered about at random.  _What the fuck is going on?  Ooh, does she have a Ouija board?_

          “We playin’ Ouija or something?  Y’know, ‘cause evidently you’re Goth or whatever,” Chloe teased only to drop both mugs when Max leaned in and kissed her.

     The kiss wasn’t a peck like from the dare back in October; feeling Max’s hand on the nape of her neck, Chloe realized Max wouldn’t let it be as quick as the previous attempt.  Tasting strawberries on Max’s lips, Chloe found her mouth moving in concert with Max’s of its own volition until she had a hand on the brunette’s hip.  Chloe tried to slide her tongue into Max’s mouth only to shudder in the thrill of Max catching it with her lips.  _Max is sucking on my tongue!  She’s fucking sucking on her tongue!_   The disconnect between her thoughts and the instinctive way her body was acting didn’t both Chloe at all; if anything, she was locked in her mind and enjoying the show.  Max’s eyes would flutter open on occasion when Chloe would pull away for breath and the wanting look on the brunette’s face would leave Chloe feeling hungry for the taste of strawberries.  They kissed more, their lips molding into each other’s with tongues writhing in unison.  Chloe felt Max press them together when she tried to break free of the brunette’s kissing and had to tap Max on the shoulder to signal she needed air.

          “…Holy… Holy fuck,” Chloe stammered, gasping and leaning over a bit as Max motionlessly watched her, “Max.  Max, where did that come from?  I mean, you didn’t even dare-“

     “Chloe, I really like you,” Max said, and the simultaneous tenderness and seriousness shut the bluenette up with her jaw popping as it she closed her mouth.  “Please don’t make a joke of this.”

          “Max, I totally won’t,” Chloe said, her nervous smile fading into a seriousness to match her best friend’s as she took Max’s hands into her own, “Max, I won’t.  You can tell me anything.  You know that, dude.”  
     “I… I don’t know how else to say it, now that I’m here,” Max started, wiggling a hand free of Chloe’s hold only to bring it up to the bluenette’s cheek.  Max rubbed her thumb along Chloe’s jawline and something about the way Max just touched her face had Chloe’s heart pounding.  “I had a plan for this.  Candles and, um, booze.  I even have chocolate in my bag…”

          “Max…”

     “Chloe, I’m in love with you.”

     The space between them was almost like static electricity to Chloe; she felt herself drawn to Max but simultaneously afraid of being shocked.  She didn’t know how to react to this news.  Chloe had been, in her best-case scenario, hoping to hear that Max might be crushing on her.  _I figured maybe she might want to give me a shot.  But this?  This… Max is in love.  With me._

_I don’t know about this…_

          “Max-“  
     “Chloe,” Max cut off the bluenette and Chloe felt her nerves catch fire from how anxious she felt, how scared she was, “I am _not_ sorry to tell you this.  If… If you just want to be friends I can so do that.  I need you in my life more than I’ve ever needed anything ever.  We have so much to live for, and so much time left to do so.  I want to experience things, experience life.  I want to… I _need_ to share these future experiences with you, Che.  If I’m your friend or-“

          “Max.”

     “…Yeah…?”

          “You’re smoking hot.  This new look is enough to make me hella fall to my knees, Max.  Never mind what you’ve said.  Never mind… No, not never mind.  I… I know that there _is_ love for you in me, Max.  I’m still… The pain is still there, y’know, from October.  It doesn’t mean I’m saying no, and it doesn’t mean I’m saying wait.  It just…”

     “…Y-Yeah?” Max’s quivering voice sent Chloe over the edge and the bluenette leaned her forehead into her best friend’s.  “C-Chloe…?”

          “Can you just be kissing me now, loving me like I’ve been loving you for _so_ fucking long?” Chloe asked, her voice soft and reminiscent of how she’d been 5 years ago before Max had left her in Arcadia Bay.  A broken heart forged anew through pain, loss, and love found again.

     “Hella.” Max leaned in before pulling back with a smirk.  When Chloe looked at her in confusion, Max blew out the candle she was still holding onto and Chloe realized that all the candles were on the _other side_ of her bedroom, away from the actual bed itself.  _Huh, why’d she…?_

_Oh._

_Ohhhhh._

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to thank my friend maxsfreckles on Tumblr for the talk we had online that ended up being the rough idea that became this story. What I had planned on being a short little piece turned into this lengthy story because, well, I don't usually end up doing a lot of short bits.
> 
> I'm a die-hard Pricefield shipper but I've wanted to explore the potential friendship Victoria and Max could have based off of how you can end up being with Vic at the Vortex party. Doing a near two-month time jump seemed appropriate to give people time to settle and I kept all the other characters out on purpose to highlight two characters that have displayed more vulnerable sides to Max than some others have. I also ship Taylor and Victoria, so there's that as well. I just like the idea of Max and those two hanging out and getting hammered while arguing over the silliest things, and I love the thought of Max and Victoria having these serious and deeply compassionate moments that turn them from awkward non-enemies to lasting friends.
> 
> How about that swerve, though, with the last piece being from Chloe's perspective? Eh? Ehhhh?
> 
> No. Ayyyyyyyy ;)
> 
> Read, review, and I'll see you later!
> 
> Stay hella, Cinnamon Rolls!


End file.
